Not As It Seems
by CUtopia
Summary: It was supposed to be a fun evening with the squad, but little did Olivia and Rafael know that their friends had their own agenda.


Entry for thebarsondaily's First Dates Contest on Tumblr

Thank you so much Dina for betaing this :)

It's a pretty common trope, I knoooow, but if I'm completely honest that's the only way I can see Barson finally getting their shit together XD

I hope y'all enjoy this :)

* * *

 **Not As It Seems**

Exiting her bedroom, Olivia Benson couldn't help but blush when her son Noah made a noise of awe and the babysitter Lucy whistled with a light wink.

"You look so pretty, Mama!" Noah exclaimed with a big smile and ran over to her in his pyjamas for a goodnight kiss while Lucy smirked at the older woman.

"I thought this was just a drinks and dinner thing with your squad, Liv. This looks more like you're going to the Met."

Olivia kissed Noah's curls gently, feeling flattered by his compliment, and then smoothed down the black cocktail dress she was wearing. "Thank you, baby. Well, I thought so too, but somehow Amanda booked a table at a very fancy restaurant. So I can't exactly go there in jeans, right?"

In fact, she'd been extremely puzzled upon hearing the place Amanda had chosen for the squad evening – usually they went to a cosy pub or any other place with good food and a relaxed atmosphere – and she'd even approached her concerning the subject, but the only answer she'd gotten out of the Detective had been inconclusive. "Don't worry, Liv, Calhoun said she'll be paying."

And so she had no other choice than to do her hair, put some subtle makeup on and slip into a dress and heels to fit the place. She could only hope that Rita would really take the tab - after googling the restaurant she'd realised that a dinner there would make significant cuts into her paycheck. In the back of her mind, she felt some suspicion towards Amanda's motives, but she couldn't think of any reason that had gotten her friend to make this decision.

At least, apart from Rita having offered to pay since it would be her first time accompanying them and she'd wanted to be nice, leading to Amanda using the opportunity to get the most out of that offer.

"Well, anyway, you look dashing, Liv. Have fun, take some pictures of the gourmet food for us ordinary mortals," Lucy said with a light laugh, holding Liv's clutch while the other woman got her coat from the hallway.

"I hope I won't be jealous of the Mac'n'Cheese I know you two are going to be having once I'm gone. Don't stay up too late, baby, and be nice to Lucy."

Olivia couldn't help but kiss Noah again after slipping into her coat, then she took her clutch from Lucy and grabbed her keys; Noah looked a tiny bit offended. "I'm always nice to Lucy! I even eat all my veggies!"

The two women chuckled warmly and like so often, Olivia had to give herself a little push to give them a last wave and leave the apartment.

OoO

When Olivia stepped through the doors of the restaurant, she felt extremely out of place and was glad to be able to distract herself from that feeling when she spotted Amanda, Rita, Fin and Carisi at a polished bar table, drinks already standing in front of them. After handing her coat to a very attentive waiter, she approached them, noting with irritation that their conversation seemed to come to a sudden, suspicious halt when they saw her. A second later, this observation was forgotten again though as she was greeted cheerily and presented with a cocktail ordered on her behalf.

While they waited for Mike and Barba to arrive and complete their party, Olivia tried again to get Amanda to tell her about the reason for her restaurant choice, but even now the Detective just smiled enigmatically and remained silent.

Mike showed up just a little late, apologising profusely, and some minutes later Rafael rushed in, talking on the phone in a harsh tone as he accepted his scotch. This man would never change, Olivia thought to herself with a fond smile, shaking her head at him playfully without noticing how their colleagues exchanged glances over that behaviour.

Once Rafael had finally ended his call, the group slipped into easy conversation (and teases) about annoying family members, incompetent attorneys, daycare stuff, yoga sessions and planned vacations – Rita made them all jealous with mentioning that she would be going on a two week spa retreat with her sister in Hawaii, private beach and drinks included, and Rafael wondered teasingly which president had been in office when she'd last taken a vacation. "You're the right one to talk, Barba. It was Clinton for you."

The atmosphere was no different from their usual dinners, and Olivia was just about to suggest to ask about their table before they deepened their discussions about the benefits of yoga when Mike's phone rung. After a short talk, he looked at his colleagues apologetically. "I'm sorry, that was my landlord. A pipe burst in a neighbouring apartment, I gotta go."

His sudden departure dampened the mood a little, and Olivia felt her stomach sink when Rita got a call from a client just a minute later, leaving with Fin, who claimed that he'd left his key for Rita's townhouse at her place.

Not willing to let this destroy the evening completely, Olivia cheerfully said that at least there were still four of them, but a second later, as if her words had jinxed it, Amanda got a call as well. "Damn. My babysitter badly cut herself into the hand while preparing dinner and is in the ER with Jesse."

"I'll drive you," Carisi offered quickly, touching Amanda's shoulder comfortingly, and Olivia sighed, emptying her glass.

"I guess there goes our quiet evening out."

"Oh no, you two should make the best of it! Eat some delicious food, drink good wine and enjoy it all for us, please," Amanda hurried to say, shaking her head and gesturing for a waitress. "Ma'am, I had booked a table on the name Rollins. It's only for them now, though. Have fun!"

And with that they were out the door, leaving Olivia and Rafael staring after them in surprise; the waitress smiled politely and asked them to follow her. "Your table is prepared."

"How unfortunate. It took so long to find a date when everyone was free and now this," Olivia commiserated with another sigh as Rafael and her walked through the restaurant behind the waitress, Rafael looking slightly irritated and suspicious.

"Yeah. Also a weird coincidence, isn't it?"

Gently brushing his hand against the small of her back, he pulled the chair back for her when they reached their table – one for two, in a neatly decorated, quiet area by the window, candles providing a warm and cosy light – and Olivia shot him a confused glance. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just being paranoid, I guess."

Once they were both seated and had their menus and fresh drinks, Olivia caught herself at the thought that it was weird how of all the people of the squad it was the two people who were among the constantly occupied people that ended up being the only ones left tonight. Rafael usually had work to take care of, and Liv had work and Noah.

And yet they were there, the only ones left of a party of seven people.

Not that she minded, really – she'd been forced to turn down way too many dinner invitations or turn them into takeout at her place with an excited five year old than she could feel comfortable with. This was a welcome opportunity to spend time with one of her best friends.

"For a starter I would like to recommend our appetiser plate for two tonight," the waitress said in a tone that suggested she knew exactly which food would make their evening perfect; picking up a small specials card, she presented it to them. "Oysters, caviar, our house made brioche."

Olivia almost choked on the sip of wine she'd just taken when she saw the prizes on the card and a tingle rushed through her when Rafael gently touched her hand, glancing up at the waitress with a friendly smile. "We'll take that one."

"Excellent choice. For your main course I would like to suggest the Chef's Plate. It's a very popular choice by couples on dates."

This time, Olivia almost choked on the sip of water she'd taken to soothe the cough from choking on the wine, but before she managed to catch her breath, Rafael answered for them both. "That sounds very good, thank you."

Nodding and making a quick note on her pad, the waitress turned around and walked off; Olivia glared at Rafael, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Why does she think we're a couple? Also that dinner costs more than half my monthly salary."

"No idea. But don't worry, Liv, Rita is paying. We can have all the good stuff we want," he replied, winking at her, and Olivia chuckled lightly, taking her wine glass.

"Well, then, to Rita and her bank account, I guess."

They clinked their glasses together, gazes locked, and sipped the expensive wine before Rafael said: "I'm not as sorry about the others having to leave than I probably should be. Work has been so busy lately, and then Noah… I'm glad we get to spend some time together tonight. Not that I don't enjoy going to Noah's Little League games…"

"I understand what you're trying to say," Olivia interjected softly, her brown eyes full of warmth. "I missed this too, Rafi. I hated to have to turn your invitations down…"

"Noah will always come first, and that's how it's supposed to be. Now, let's stop lamenting about the limited time we have and enjoy the present."

Nodding with a sigh, Olivia pushed the thoughts about how much she'd missed him into the back of her mind and took another sip of the expensive wine. "Okay. How's your mother's school project going, then?"

"From her perspective, fabulous. From mine? Not so much. I've spent too many Sundays at her school painting coulisses or printing place cards and stuff. I guess I can be glad I'm not being forced to participate in the play."

"It's something I would take the evening off to watch, though. You in an elementary school production of Alice in Wonderland," Olivia teased, laughing loudly about the pictures that formed in her head, and while she wiped a tear away, she didn't see the soft expression that took over Rafael's face.

"I'll have you know that I used to be a popular actor at the Harvard drama club. My Rocky Horror Picture Show performance is still being remembered today."

"You in fishnet stockings, Rafi? Don't give me ideas."

He started laughing too, more freely than he did in a long time, and they exchanged more long glances. A comfortable silence settled between them for a moment, then Olivia confessed: "I was slightly suspicious when Amanda suggested this restaurant. I forgot about it but now… uhm… I got the feeling that they all conspired against us."

Rafael looked at her thoughtfully for some time, a trace of nervosity flashing through his green eyes, but then he straightened his back with his usual confidence. "Maybe they did. But… I wouldn't mind, to be honest."

The atmosphere shifted quickly, a certain tension hanging in the air, and Olivia's fingers fiddled with the stem of her wine glass, waiting for him to continue speaking. Her heart was racing and her mind spinning – what if he didn't mean it the way she was thinking he did?

"We've been dancing around each other for so long, Liv… we probably needed that kick. No, we definitely needed it."

So much more went unsaid, but Olivia knew anyway. Tentatively slipping her hand across the table to lace her fingers through his, she smiled in relief. "You're right."

It was as if the whole world around the ceased to exist for the blissful moment in which their gazes met again, open and honest, and a small group of people hiding behind the kitchen door high-fived each other triumphantly and ordered drinks to celebrate the successful completion of their plan.


End file.
